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No one on this forum will pay those prices we are all way too crafty for that. But I still think this is a good thing. Cottage manufacturers will still be king with koolaid drinkers like us, but for normal people its a bit different. Going on line to learn about and purchase gear for something you heard about from a youtube video or from some guy you talked to for five minutes at academy is really intimidating for some people. They want easy observable and relatable things. They want something sitting in a big box store that they dont have to think too much about.

I probably could have converted some people to hammock camping instead of hammocks as a novelty for tent campers if I had had an underquilt in the store to show them. Without seeing it there was just not enough interest for them to go looking for it. Also the friends I do have that I converted to Occasional hammock camping wont break out of the ENO bubble. And I think both of them have the money and would rather spend the money for the Blaze just because they wouldnt have to think or worry much about it. Dudes that can afford 350$ camp knives because they are a brand they trust will certainly shell out for more ENO gear if it is all their blinders will let them see.

I still think we will stay on the cutting edge, but I would like to see more hammocks out there and the Blaze will ultimately make it much more accessable to the general public.

That and you gotta admit this is so much better than that horrid embarrasment we experienced with the Ember.

I think the cottage guys will still have the upper hand. Especially if they start patenting their suspensions and such. (That is if they haven't already) The only problem I see for the future of our hobby is people not practicing LNT and messing it up for everyone else with their favorite places.

I will ALWAYS buy through the cottage guys here before I go big box. These guys deserve my money, not the big corporations that already have enough...

"We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it."- G. W. Sears

I think ultimately this is a good thing. It can introduce someone to a full hammock setup at their local REI. Then when they want more performance or a lighter load they come here and find the cottage vendors we have.

I look at it like UL Backpacking. Sure you can go to REI and buy a Fly Creek tent that weighs 3 pounds for $350, that's good to get people started. Lots of the serious UL guys still will wind up ordering a cottage vendor tarp or tarp tent. What they want doesn't appeal to the mass market enough for a big company to make. So in the end I think it might even increase cottage industry business by hooking people on Hammock camping in an easily accessible venue, I mean shoot, even my local tiny strip mall outfitter sell ENO hammocks and accessories.